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A type of editing you can have done early in the writing process is substantive editing. This generally includes:• Correcting spelling, capitalization, punctuation and obvious grammar errors• Improving readability of text• Identifying clarity and organizational issues• Identifying accuracy issues• Identifying consistency issues• Recommending sections to add, reduce or delete A substantive edit generally is needed after the…

There’s no doubt that marketing and the quality of a book’s content go hand-in-hand where book sales are concerned. Yes, marketing can turn a bad book into a success and clearly a lack of marketing can mean a great book goes unnoticed. But at least in the case of the former, even a bad book eventually…

One type of editing you can have done is copy editing. This generally includes:• Correcting spelling, capitalization, punctuation and obvious grammar errors• Ensuring the text is clear and understandable (which may involve minor rewriting)• Checking for potential copyright violations• Cross-checking for consistent use of references and sources While copy editing includes elements of proofreading (correcting spelling, capitalization,…

The most basic type of editing you can have done is proofreading. A proofreading generally includes the correcting of:• Spelling errors• Capitalization errors• Punctuation errors• Obvious grammar errors (such as missing words)• Inconsistent use of fonts and styles in chapter/subchapter titles, headers and footers• Inconsistent use or errors in margins and line spacing• Page numbering issues•…

Rarely does a writer create the perfect first draft. Usually several drafts are needed to get close to what the writer envisioned upon committing the story’s first word to paper or computer memory. Many writers find revising and self-editing difficult, however, largely because they’re unclear of what exactly needs to be changed to improve their story.…

All too often, people hoping to make an easy buck try to convince self-published authors that they need expensive marketing services to get the attention of traditional media – newspapers, magazines, television and radio. The truth is that with a little know-how of what to write to whom and with a few hours of your time,…

To successfully market a nonfiction book, you’ll want a powerful title that grabs the reader. Unlike fiction, however, the nonfiction book not only has to catch the readers’ attention but give the reader an instant sense of what the book is about. As you compete with hundreds and sometimes even thousands of books writing about your…

Good stories often raise questions – questions that reveal the ignorance underneath accepted wisdom…questions that doubt the popular yet inhumane view…questions that rip the veneer off norms to show their underlying contradictions. These are the questions that need to be asked. Whenever political power shifts, as new technologies propel us into new worlds, as a culture’s…

Once you set the price of your book, it need not remain that number forever. In fact, keeping a static price actually may hurt book sales. The magic amount that what will pay for you title changes seasonally and is affected by the quality and quantity of competing titles, factors that are constantly evolving. Most authors…

Descriptive scenes of places, characters or the time period in stories ought to be relevant to the plot. Such scenes should provide details that molds the reader’s understanding of the character and of the setting. Consider the following paragraph: Peter rolled his eyes but began his descent. Upon reaching the ground, his father handed him a…